Counting mechanism for use in canneries and the like



I J1me 1959 R. M. MAGNUSON ErAL. 2,389,986

COUNTING MECHANISM FOR USE IN CANNERIES AND THE LIKE Filed May 17, 19512 Sheets-Sheet l I7TTOR/VEY June 9, 1959 R. M. MAGNUSON ETAL COUNTINGMECHANISM FOR USE IN CANNERIES AND THE LIKE Filed May 17. 1951 2Sheets-Sheet 2 may w A w rmm JM Y 71 N5 R EAJ 0 w k M 4 a 7 R Y 5 UnitedStates Patent COUNTING IVIECHANISM FOR USE IN CANNERIES AND THE LIKE RoyM. Magnuson and Traver J. Smith, Santa Clara 'County, C alifl; saidSmith assignor to said Magnuson; Genevieve I. Magnuson, executrix ofsaid Roy M. Magnuson, deceased Application May 17, 1951, Serial No.226,842

3 Claims. (Cl. 235-98) The present invention relates to a countingmechanism for use in canneries and the like where piece Work by eachindividual operator must be counted in order to determine the days pay,or bonus, and is concerned more particularly with the above type ofcounting apparatus in which an honest count by the worker is insured andwhich is individually adjustable to each individual worker.

Known systems for counting individual workers operations in canneriesusually employ placing of the counter actuator or counter actuatingswitch at an inaccessible location with respect to the worker, so thatit would be impossible for her to use her hands to produce a false countwithout being observed by the supervisor. Even with such systems certainworkers acquire skill in throwing the articles being processed throughthe counting chute to cause them to make one count, bounce back and makeanother count as they operate the switch actuator the second time. Theinaccessible location results in slowing up the work of the operator,particularly with an unskilled operator, as it requires a certain amountof practice to throw the article being processed into the counting chuteand, at the same time, with certain kinds of articles, for example,tomatoes, this results in injury to the article because of the distancewhich it had to be thrown to enter the counting chute.

In accordance with the instant invention the above objections to thelocation or operation of the counting chute are obviated.

One of the general objects of the invention is the provision of acounting system for use in canneries and the like whereby an honestcount by each worker is insured, and at the same time a counting chuteis arranged in a convenient and desirable location for fast operation bythe worker.

Another general object of the invention is to provide a counting systemof the above character which is operated by electrical means of a lowvoltage character which provides reliability in operation and preventsdanger of shock or injury to the workers, this being particularlyimportant in canneries where the work involves the use of water.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a counting systemof the above character in which the adjustment of the switch operatingmeans involves a time delay which is set in accordance with the capacityof the worker with which it is being used, so that the worker canoperate at full capacity and still cannot gain an advantage by effectinga count without putting an article through the counting chute.

Another object of the invention is to provide a counting circuit forsystems of the above character which attains the above objects.

The above and other objects of the invention are attained as illustratedin a preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of such acounting system.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view through one of the workersstations showing the arrangement of the work conveyors with relation tothe counting chute for actuating the counter.

Figure 3 is a wiring diagram of the counting circuit employed in thecounting system.

Figure 4 is a sectional View through the counting chute taken on theline 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings there are shown in Figure 1 four workerstations in connection with a conveyor 10 suitably supported upon aframe 11 and divided into three spaces or strips 10a and 10b by means ofpartitions 12 suitably supported on the framework.

Straps 13 extending upwardly from the frame and across the conveyor 10support a frame 14 for a second conveyor 16 which may serve for exampleas a conveyor for rejected articles. At either side of the conveyor 10on the frame angles 11 are food processing units 17, for example of thecharacter shown in US. Patent No. 2,512,921. These units are immediatelyadjacent the work articles on the adjacent section of the conveyor 10and opposite to each processing unit 17 is a counting chute 18 supportedby means of a bracket 19 on the adjacent angle 14. The conveyor 10,therefore, provides two work spaces 10a to either side of a centralspace or strip 10b to which the finished work is fed through thecounting chute 18. The structure of the processing units 11 and thecounting chutes 18 is duplicated for each of the working strips orspaces 16a.

Each counting chute 18 comprises a lower arcuate piece of sheet metal 21attached at its edges to a transverse backing wall 22. The wall 22 isperforated to admit the three-pronged wire switch member or actuator 23pivoted at 24 and spring-urged to the position shown by the spring 25.Adjacent to the switch actuator 23 a housing member 26 of sheet metalprovides space for a microswitch 27 having its actuator arm 29 inadjacent re-- lation to the actuator 23 for movement between the full.line and dotted line positions thereof upon movement of the actuator 23.One terminal of the micro-switch may be grounded and the other extendsup to an electrical conduit 31 which houses the electrical connectionsto the main counter unit 32 (Figure l), which has a sight opening 33 foreach individual counter. The multiple counter unit 32 is located remotefrom the operators at any desired position.

Referring to Figure 3 the switching circuit includes a suitable source37 of 24 volt D.C. supply provided between ground and the common lead 36of the various counting units. Each counting unit comprises anadjustable rheostat 38 which is connected to ground through a condenser39 and also, through the operating relay 41 for the associatedindividual counting unit in the casing 32. The relay 41 is connectedthrough the micro-switch 27 to ground.

The operation of the circuit is as follows:

The combined resistances of 38 and 41 draw a sufiiciently small currentfrom the circuit that the relay 41 is insufliciently energized tooperate even with the microswitch 27 closed. However, the condenser 39will slowly build up a charge and when this charge is suflicient and theswitch 27 is closed, the resulting discharge of the condenser willoperate relay 41. The rheostat 38 is adjusted to determine the number ofcounts which can be made in a given unit of time and the range of thisadjustment will provide, for example, for a count of from 20 to unitsper minute, which is the range commonly employed in canneries and willaccommodate many different operations and from the slowest to thefastest worker. The setting of the rheostat 38 controls theslowto-recover circuit and determines how many times the condenser 39can be charged and discharged in a given assaese unit of time. Theresistor 38 is, set at a slightly faster rate than the particularoperator who is working at this station so that regardless of how fastshe works the condenser 39 will always have sutficient charge to operatethe counter. There is a time delay due to the charging rate of thecondenser 39 and this will prevent a second operation by manual flippingof the switch, or by a double operation by an article due to rebound ofthe article-from the Wall.

It will be noted that if the switch 27 is operated, and then heldclosed, only a single operation of the counter will result. It will benoted also, that if the switch 27 is operated and immediately operatedagain. thereafter, only a single count will result, as maintaining theswitch closed will prevent building up of a charge on the condenser 39.

As a result the above circuit, and the counting system employingit,provide for the operation of the system as fiast as. the operator cannormally work and at the same time prevents a dishonest count on thesystem. This results in being able to place the counting chute 18 in themost desirable location where it is immediately available and handy forthe worker and where she can work at a desired rate. This isparticularly true in the case of unskilled workers where inaccessiblelocation of the counting chute will penalize them in their pay untilskill is developed.

It will be obvious that the invention is capable of variation andmodification from the form shown so that the scope of the inventionshould be limited only by the scope of the claims attached hereto.

We claim:

1. In a counting system for canneries and the like which prevents adishonest count and also enables location of an article counting chutein an easily accessible position for the worker, a work space includingdifierent areas for raw product and for finished product, a counterlocated in a remote location from said work space, a de-' layed-actionoperating means for said counter and lo cated likewise in a remotelocation from said work space, said operating means including means forincorporating a desired time delay between successive operations of saidoperating means, means for effecting operations of said counter inresponse to operations of said operating means, an article chute locatedin an accessible position adjacent said work space, and a trippingelement in said chute connected to said operating means and beingoperable in response to depositing of articles in said chute foreflecting operations of said operating means under the control of saidtime delay incorporating means.

2. In a counting system for canneries and the like which prevents adishonest count and also enables location of an article counting chutein an. easily accessible.

position for the worker, a work space including difierent areas for rawproduct and for finished product, a counter located in a remote locationfrom said work space, a delayed-action operating means for said counterand located likewise in a remote location from said work space, said p rn e n ludin m fo inqcrpq a ins a d n sired time delay betweensuccessive, operations of said operating means, means for eifectingoperations of saicl counter in response to operations of said operatingmeans, an article chute located in an accessible position for manualtransmission of articles between said respective areas of said workspace, and a tripping element positioned to be actuated by articlesdeposited in said chute for effecting operations of said operating meansunder the control of said time delay incorporating means.

3. In counting systems for canneries and the like which prevents adishonest count and also enables location of an article counting chutein an easily accessible position for the worker, a counter located in aremote position with respect to the operator, atslow-to-recoyeroperating means for said counter and located therewithincluding adjustable means for setting the recovery time,

of said operating means, an article chute located in an accessibleposition to the operator, and means located in said chute and connectedto said operating means and being operable in response to the depositingof articles in said chute for effecting operations of said operatingmeans under the control of the slow-to-recover setting thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED. STATES PATENTS OTHERREFERENCES Alternating Current Circuits Tang, 1st edition; pub; lishedby International Textbook Co., Scranton, Pa., pp. 369-371.

W. H. Pickering: Review Scientific Instrument, June 1938, pp. 180482,

